Pointless
by Terrarysm
Summary: Cole is your average loner with a troubled past. One night, he attends a wild, pointless party, but wants anything but to actually be there. However, as he soon finds out, one of the Teen Titans shares the same feelings. ("Sisters" partygoer/Raven). Reviews/PMs are appreciated.
1. Chapter 1

It all started with a party.

I didn't want to go, first of all. I'm not the party-going type, unless it's a loud, obnoxious metal show. Dance music, colorful flashing lights, and rabid skanky teenagers were not my idea of a good time. The whole idea of it made me sick to my stomach. It sucks having friends who are actually into that kind of thing. My friend Vinny was probably the most enthusiastic; he's the social type that would rather go out and meet women in a shady club than sit at home looking for them online. Both of those cases would be bad enough, but I gave him the benefit of a doubt.

Needless to say, I was inclined to go with him to whatever club he wanted, but I wasn't planning on doing anything like _dancing_. After all, dancing is the very last thing I'd ever do. I much prefer vibing.

"You're going in _that_? Dude, you look like something out of a horror movie," Vinny said as I got into his car. I looked down at myself again and knew he was right; my black T-shirt, black jeans and black shoes made me look like a typical social outcast, or "goth", as some people say. I could care less about what people say about me, though. That's basically the story of my life.

My friend was wearing some kind of vintage t-shirt and a leather jacket, making his already buffed figure a little more buff than usual. Those characteristics made me look skinny enough to stand out more than he would in a crowd. A typical person would wonder why or how the two of us ever became friends.

Vinny turned the radio on and we drove in silence for a few minutes, making our way out of the suburbs and into the inner city. The buildings loomed high above in the distance as the full moon sat right in the middle of our field of view. It was the epitome of a perfect summer night.

I stared off into space for most of the ride, trying to picture what kind of night lay in front of me. Maybe I could find a nice corner to light up in and find another loner girl. Too bad there's practically no chance of that ever happening.

Vinny turned down the radio and said, "So, you hear about the thing that attacked the carnival at the pier last night?"

"Not really," I said non-enthusiastically. Something was always attacking something in this dumb city. The only upside it had was the Titans, but not even they were perfect. Even after they took down all the crime that enters the city, something new would show up. It was an endless, pointless cycle from my standpoint. Not even the Teen Titans could prevent crime from ever happening; it was only after crime happens and people get hurt that they do anything to stop it.

"Yeah, my buddy George was there and saw the whole thing," Vinny went on. "Said it was a flying robot squid. Like what?"

I chuckled. A flying robot squid? "I'll believe it when I see it." I turned and looked at Vinny directly. "Did the Titans take care of it or what?"

"From what George told me, he said it attacked the Titans directly. Like it didn't even try to hurt anything or anyone else." Vinny replied while parking his car on the side of the street.

I looked around. "Why are we stopping?"

Vinny pointed to a building down the street. "That's the place Megan said we'd be, the old warehouse with 'SOTO' on the top of it."

I looked. The warehouse looked genuinely like something out of a horror film. "This might not be so bad after all," I remarked as I got out of the car.

We made our way toward the disturbing-looking building, and I took in a deep breath. A large group was a little farther in front of us heading for the same destination. They were smiling, laughing, and having a good time. If there was ever a time where I needed for nothing to go wrong, it was tonight. All I needed to do was find a little corner and keep myself there. Away from people, away from the flashing lights, away from the shitty dance music.

As long as it wasn't my house.

Vinny opened the door for me and I walked in, bracing myself for the worst. Around thirty people were still setting up, many of them in their late teens. I eyed the lights curiously, noticing the colorful transparent film placed over many of them. A stage sat right in the middle of the floor, where a large booth and a massive pile of speakers lay ready to make the entire place rumble. Vinny greeted a few people, outwardly displaying his personality like the social butterfly that he is. I awkwardly shifted to the door, acting like I was just waiting for something to happen. I casually checked my phone and noticed it was 9:58.

Great, only two hours before I can leave.

It was probably only about ten minutes that passed, but a large number of teens found their way in during that short amount of time. I tried not to make myself look like too much of a loner, but I still knew that every party had to have one. Why not me, anyway? I make the perfect one.

Vinny didn't even come back for me. The bastard decided to ditch me for some ugly girl that probably wasn't even that ugly. I wanted to be angry with him, but I knew well enough it was my own fault that I'm not a people person. Just the idea of talking to people I didn't know was always a touchy subject, and Vinny knew that well enough. He probably made the right decision in ditching me anyway. There's no sense in making me embarrass him.

The warehouse continued to fill with people. The music started up, and the dance floor went into full swing. I managed to grab a punch from the drink table and slowly sip away at it, trying to make myself look occupied. It was a terrible setting, but it was still better.

Better…

The side doors opened, and a tall alien girl with long black hair walked in, followed by a robot, a green-skinned kid, a guy in a cape, and a blue-cloaked chick.

I raised my eyebrows. The Teen Titans? What are they doing at a downtown party? I reconsidered that thought. It's not like I had been to many downtown parties. For all I knew, they could have been to every single one that's been advertised. The last party I had been to before this one was over a year ago at some slutty girl's house. Long story short, it got wild and the police showed up. I got away even though I hadn't done anything wrong, but the girl who hosted the party laid some guy and got pregnant soon after. I didn't even know what happened after that. All I knew was that parties were generally not a good idea in this dumb city, because most of them lead to trouble. At least at this one they have adults supervising drink tables checking for I.D.

The thing with me was that I didn't care for alcohol. Being 19 years old doesn't make me legal to drink it, but everyone's done it before illegally in some way or another. My first drink was at Vinny's sixteenth birthday. He stole some of his parents' vodka stash and stored it away in his room, then brought it out after his parents thought everyone had gone home. The reality was that some of us had come back and hid in his backyard while he slipped out with the vodka. We never got caught, but the only thing I remember was that it tasted like shit. My throat burned for the rest of that night.

I sipped my punch once more and took in the sweetness. Another tall alien girl that looked like the first one, this time with red hair, followed along behind the Titans looking completely out of place. She nervously wandered, bumping into a few of the people that were having a good time and looking very much like she didn't want to be there. I eyed her curiously, wondering what could have possibly gone down for her to have to suffer through a party like this.

"Step aside, earthlings. The Queen of the Galaxy has arrived!" The darker-haired alien girl exclaimed, spreading the crowd down the middle as the Titans paraded through it. From the indifferent actions of the crowd, I could tell they weren't turning into rabid fans asking for autographs. Perhaps the Titans partied more than I thought and the people were used to it.

I leaned over to the guy sipping punch next to me. "Who's the other chick? The one that isn't Starfire, I mean."

The guy looked totally out of it. "Raven," he said nonchalantly. He sipped again.

"No, no, I know about her, I mean the one that looks like Starfire."

"Hell if I know. Looks like her sister."

I nodded, glancing into my cup and noticing its emptiness. "Shit," I muttered. The punch table was some fifty feet away, and I didn't feel like moving from the spot I was in. I glanced over at where the Titans were, about twenty feet away, and saw Raven and Starfire standing motionless beside each other, set apart from the gleeful dancing teens that were all around them. From my angle I could barely make out Raven's face under her hood. Her arms were crossed, and she didn't look all that impressed. Starfire looked uncomfortable and anxious, her arms straightened down against her chest and hands holding each other near her midsection. She frowned as the music's catchy beat quickened and the dancing grew more upbeat.

I paid more attention to Raven than to Starfire. To be honest, I really liked her style. She didn't seem to care about any of her surroundings whatsoever. She also didn't look like she'd suddenly start dancing out of the blue anytime soon.

I realized that this was my only chance. I didn't have anything else better to do, and I sure didn't want to be sitting in that corner drinking punch by myself the whole evening. I checked my phone again. It was only 10:20. Yeah, there was far too much time for me to waste.

I started going through the crowd toward the two, trying not to stand out like a sore thumb. I was only a few feet away.

"This party is pointless." Raven muttered.

This was my chance. I appeared beside her and replied, "_Everything's_ pointless."

Raven didn't look up at me. Starfire gave me a sideways glance. I thought quickly. "Wanna go talk about it?" I tried my best not to look too hopeful.

Raven shrugged. My heart skipped a beat. Of all the pick-up lines I could have possibly done, _that _one worked? I started toward the other end of the room, and Raven made her decision to follow. Starfire could go do her own thing.

I spotted a bunch of crates that was a little farther from the dance floor. "We can go over there if you want." Raven gave a little shrug. I wondered if she even cared.

That section of the warehouse was very dimly lit. A void of blackness was just beyond our destination. Maybe that's why Raven came here in the first place: for the setting. It's too bad there had to be all these lights and people to ruin it.

"Want me to get some punch?" I asked her. There was no sense in not being a gentleman. Raven put up her hand in response. "I'm fine," she said.

I sat down on one of the crates and she took a seat right beside me. We gazed at the crowd, where the music had changed yet again into another repetitive dance tune. I spoke first. "So, uh…what'd you mean by that. You know, saying this party was pointless."

She gave me a questioning look. "I think you know very much what I meant."

I shrugged. "Not really. I just wanted to hear from your point of view. Why do you think this party is pointless?"

She kept staring at the crowd. I could only wonder what could possibly be going through her mind. I didn't know much about her, after all. She seemed like one of those people that has the same negative outlook on life as I do, but with a feminine charm. I wondered what she even looked like under that hood. It didn't seem like she had any intention on taking it off, and I wasn't about to ask her to do so. That would be far too intrusive. She seemed pretty delicate.

"This party is pointless because there's no point to it," she said bluntly. "What can anyone possibly get out of this? Fun? Wasted time?"

"Probably all of the above," I stated. "Honestly, I came here because I'd rather be here standing in the corner by myself rather than sitting at home being…" I stopped. Maybe I said too much. Raven kept staring at the crowd with emotionless eyes. "So…why are you here?" I asked.

Raven pointed into the center of the crowd, supposedly at Starfire's sister. "Blackfire said something about a creepy rundown warehouse. Too bad it's not creepy." She paused and sighed. "I could be sitting back at the tower reading my book right now. Or watching a horror movie. Or doing anything but being here."

"Hmm." I mumbled. "Y'know some people, like the guy I came with, come to these things just to have some kind of social interaction. It's like he forces himself to talk to people, even if he doesn't want to."

Raven frowned. "You'd be surprised about the people I live with. Sometimes I wish I could segregate myself from human interaction for days, but no…I have to protect this dumb city instead."

I faced her. "Well, if it's any consolation, we're having human interaction right now."

"Well, yeah," she replied quickly, "it's not really weird for you. You probably get to sit in your house all day without having to talk to anyone."

She had me there. She lived with a bunch of freaks at that tower, after all. I despised living with my parents, but at least I didn't have to deal with that little green kid. Just from my observation, I could tell he pisses others off easily, and that was with normal people. For Raven, the frustration must be multiplied.

Raven fiddled with her gloves, a sign that I interpreted as losing interest. I struggled to think up an answer to her remark. "You're right, I'm sorry I took you for granted. Living with those guys is probably pretty hard for you, huh."

"You have no idea," she muttered. For the first time, she looked at me directly. "…do you have a name?"

I sat speechless for a half-second, startled by the question. I hadn't even told her my name yet? Shit, I always miss the dumbest things. "Cole," I said. She turned her gaze back to the crowd.

"Raven. Charmed." Her voice suggested sarcasm. This girl was incredibly hard to read, but I liked it for some reason. She lifted her left hand over and stuck it out. I awkwardly took it with my own left hand and softly shook it. It was cold and pale, much like mine.

"Nice to meet you too."


	2. Chapter 2

I had no idea what I was doing.

This Raven girl was different in a way no one could ever imagine. I wasn't exactly sure what kind of superpowers she had, but I found myself trying extra careful not to say anything stupid. Her whole personality seemed to revolve around remaining calm and trying not to express feelings too outwardly.

As I sat there beside her in that party, I had a nagging feeling lurking inside. What did I expect to happen? This girl was one of the city's main protectors. She's physically powerful and slightly emotionally unstable. What could I, of all people, do to make us both satisfied with ourselves? I honestly didn't even know what I was doing during this whole conversation. Was I really trying to pass the time, or did fate have a different plan?

I could tell by the butterflies in my stomach that something decided to keep me there, talking to her, trying to let something loose. My emotions are almost always perfectly in check, but I couldn't help sensing _trust _in this girl.

Who am I kidding? I've known her for what, fifteen minutes? I checked my phone. 10:38.

"So…" I started. "When did you start getting in this 'Teen Titan' business? I mean, you must be pretty much a professional by now, right?"

She blinked. I think it's the first time I even saw her do so. "Three months ago," she said. She looked at me. "Why are you asking me this?" She looked a little annoyed. I hoped I hadn't stepped over the line.

I shrugged. "I'm just making conversation. I dunno."

"We both know why we're here," she said flatly, standing up. "We're both social outcasts how don't usually like the idea of having conversations with other people. We both like dark things, judging by your…_lovely _attire…" She motioned to my shirt. I didn't know whether she was complementing me or starting to leave. There's no way I'm going to let her take that chance.

"I—"

"Furthermore," she continued, cutting me off, "we both know this party was brought onto us in some way or another by another person or persons. If it hadn't have been, we would both be sitting at home, in solitude, with no one to bother us in our little shells." Raven stood over me, her voice cold and emotionless. I could tell she was frustrated, but I said nothing. She was right, after all. She probably felt as if this conversation was forced onto her, something she could have avoided but went along with anyway.

Raven sighed. Her features hardly showed up in the dim light, and her hood only made it worse. I could still see her violet-colored eyes, though. It was like they were their own source of light.

"I'm sorry," she said. "Usually I don't start acting like an asshole this early in a conversation." She leaned back against the stack of wooden crates in front of me, folding her arms across her chest. "To answer your question, I've been in the Titans for three months. I don't know if you remember when those aliens touched down in the middle of the city, but that's when we all fought together for the first time."

"Must have been intense," I muttered. "I'm guessing you didn't have the advantage of practiced teamwork for that."

Raven nodded. "We didn't. It was actually a little more awkward than intense, to be honest." She paused and then answered my question before I could ask it. "I don't exactly work well with other people. I had been by myself for a little while before that night, so trying to display a little 'team effort' was kind of new to me." She glanced off to the side and took in a deep breath. "If it wasn't for those aliens, we wouldn't have all met."

I shifted on the crate I was sitting. "Sort of a blessing in disguise?"

Raven looked back at me, and I'm pretty sure she raised her eyebrows. "Hmm? Well, yeah, I guess."

Silence between us followed. The ongoing party happening around us hardly existed for the last twenty minutes or so. I'm not usually the type to even fall into this type of deep and meaningful conversation, but as long as it kept us busy and away from the crowd of socially inept teens, I was okay with it. Judging from Raven's slight interest in our encounter, I could tell she just wanted a quick getaway as well. Neither of us needed to have anything to do with anyone else except for ourselves.

Maybe that train of thought is the reason why I hate people.

The song changed once again, this time to a popular techno-rock song that let loose some cheers from the crowd. Raven had her head slightly turned in that direction. "Ugh, not this song," she groaned. "Cyborg has this song on repeat practically every day while he works on his car."

I frowned. "Doesn't he ever get tired of it?"

She shook her head. "I can never understand this kind of music. I hear zero appeal to it. It's nothing but repetitive nonsense."

"Well, what kind of music _do _you even listen to?" I asked. I didn't really think she would give me a straightforward answer. It was hard to be able to predict just be looking at her. Metal? Punk?

"Classical." She answered. "Occasionally I'll listen to some rough orchestral stuff, but it depends on my mood." Her dark violet pupils gazed directly into mine, almost like peering into my soul. Do humans even have purple eyes? Many have blue, but not with that kind of beautiful purple shade.

From there I wondered what she was like under other moods. Chances are she just shunned everyone while under the influence of anger, fear, or sadness. I'd had my share of punching things in my bedroom each time my dad was there to piss me off. That seemed to happen pretty frequently, anyway. At least he's a little more scared of me now than when I was younger.

"What about you." She repeated.

I blinked, realizing I had been staring off into space, getting that chill of memory I had often tried to block out. "Oh. Uh, metal." My attention was transfixed in no particular place, but it was oddly near to her foot that vertically rested on the crate she leaned on. "There's some great classic rock that isn't too bad either." I decided to go for it, even if there wasn't much of a chance. "So, you like showtunes, or…"

I didn't get to finish my sentence.

The first robotic squid emerged from the crowd along with a series of screams. It zipped by us quickly, as if heading towards the darkest corner of the warehouse. My heart stopped for a brief moment, knowing realizing exactly what was going on. Time seemed to slow down dramatically, and my eyes met with Raven's for a fraction of a second.

"_Run,_" they said.

I split.

My legs carried me back towards the edge of the crowd, which was now mostly staring into our section of the warehouse with looks of awe, excitement, and fear. I looked back and immediately wished I hadn't.

The squids had somehow duplicated themselves into three variants and attached themselves onto two of Raven's Titan comrades. Beast Boy squirmed and fought from his human form in the clutches of one of the squids, which was rapidly trying to escape in the opposite direction of the crowd. Raven floated up into the air, and using some sort of black energy, lifted the large crates we were sitting on and hurled them towards the retreating monster. They both connected, and the squid as well as Beast Boy were dropped to the ground beyond my point of view.

"Isn't this exciting?" A girl beside me shouted over the music. "I don't think I've ever seen the Titans in action like this before!"

I tried my best to ignore her. Just the fact that she was finding entertainment in the face of danger kind of pissed me off. My attention attempted to focus on the battle scene in front of me, hoping to God that Raven wouldn't get hurt.

My heart skipped a beat. Raven and I may never meet again by accident like this, I realized. We had so much more to talk about.

Maybe I had found a way not to be alone anymore.

"Let's go, folks! Evacuate quickly and swiftly! Let's go, let's go!" The male voice shouted into the microphone from the DJ station. I was frozen in place while my realization had sunk in. Reality finally returned, and I hastily moved with the crowd towards the warehouse doors. The sound of glass shattering in the distance behind me made me look back again just as I reached the doors. The trio of squids was surrounding Starfire, who looked completely pale with fear.

"Let's go, kid." A large figure appeared beside me, only a few inches taller but with about six times the muscle. He pushed me softly through the doorway and out into the night.

Raven didn't return for me.

I waited for about an hour after the evacuation, practically waiting below a street light while the cops came to clean things up. I'd done nothing wrong, so I let them interview me anyway. I was still uncomfortable with it, but I didn't care that much in my hope that Raven would come back.

It made sense, though. I did my duty in keeping her occupied during the party. It's not like we had a real connection or anything. She's a damn superheroine, and I'm just a stupid-looking goth kid.

I made my way over to Vinny, who was still leaning against the warehouse texting from his phone. He looked up. "You finally ready to go?" he asked, probably a little angrier than I expected.

I nodded. I was definitely hoping he wouldn't be too pissed, but I wasn't about to tell him about Raven just yet. She ditched me, after all. Never to be seen again. Maybe I'll tell him sometime, but I was in too bad of a mood to say anything else.

The drive home was nothing but silence. The clock hit midnight just before we turned into my driveway.

"Thanks," I muttered as I exited the vehicle. I reached into my pocket and tossed Vinny a five-dollar bill. "For gas."

"Thanks, man." Vinny said. He lowered his head and looked at me straight before I closed the door. "..You okay? You just seem a little preoccupied."

I hesitated, knowing I couldn't just get off the hook without saying anything. Vinny was my bro, but I just couldn't bring myself to give him a forward answer. Not tonight. "Yeah, I'm fine. Seeya."

I shut the door and made my way to my house, too bitter to look back or anything. I felt like a jerk doing that to him. Hopefully I didn't offend him _too_ badly.

Entering the house, I lazily slipped my shoes off and quietly ambled upstairs into my bedroom, too busy recollecting everything from my encounter with Raven in my head. I had never seen her entire face under that dark blue hood. She was just as pale as I was, maybe even paler. Her personality was…

I fell onto my bed and laid there for a few minutes. What was it about her that was so striking to me? Was it her general look? I pictured her figure in front of me again, standing in front of me, leaning ever-so-casually against those wooden crates. Gazing into my mind.

I was thinking too deep into this. The music from the party replayed itself over and over through my mind, the same annoying, catchy tune that took me back into that building. Opening my eyes, I reached over and grabbed my iPod from my nightstand and stuck my earbuds in. The soothing comfort of progressive metal met my ears and mind, taking me away into the blackness of unconsciousness.


	3. Chapter 3

"Cole."

I opened my eyes. Someone was sitting on my bed. I shot up and caught myself, realizing the cord to my earbuds was loosely wrapped around my neck. _Every single night_, I thought.

It was still nearly pitch dark in my room. What time was it, 3 or 4 in the morning?

"Cole," the voice repeated. It was right next to me. I reached out and tried to touch whoever was there, but a hand snagged my wrist. "It's me."

I knew it was Raven, but how did she get there? She couldn't have known where I lived. I never told her, did I? The memory of last night was all in the past, and the grogginess of sleep came on top of that.

"How did you—"

"Who cares." She said coldly, cutting me off. Her haunting violet-colored stare was inches away, casting a spotlight right into my very being. Her hand remained gripped onto my wrist a little tighter than I wanted. "I know we didn't get to talk more earlier, but I can't really do that now either."

I managed to escape her eye contact, frantically looking for my alarm clock that was usually on the opposite end of the room. But…where was it again?

I reached for my iPod with my other hand and pushed the Home button, trying to turn it on to find the exact time. The screen remained black.

"Geez, I just want to know the ti…" I said under my breath, but cut off. Her hand held tighter. "Um, can you let go or something? You're holding my wrist a bit—"

"As I was saying, I can't talk right now because it's in the middle of the night, but I can tell you this…" Her grip on my wrist softened, and she grabbed my other one as well, pulling me toward her.

She hugged me.

By now I had sat up all the way in my bed. I still couldn't see a thing. My heart rate had quickened to about triple its normal speed, and sweat began rapidly forming under my armpits. I hugged her back, taking in her embrace for a long moment of frozen amazement. I felt hair on my neck, and I realized her hood was down. If only I could see it.

"Thank you," she whispered. "I'm glad someone was there for me to talk to."

Speechless, I let go of her hug. Raven faced me again, her hands on my shoulders now.

She inhaled softly, and I could tell she was smiling a little bit.

"You're dreaming," she said.

"_What are you looking at."_

_It was more a statement than a question. I didn't answer. I just stared at the bowl of soup that sat in front of me, the one that was directly in front of the line of vision between me and my father. The one I had to make for myself since my mom had left the house to go "buy something". _

_My father sat in his chair, seething with anger, frustrated and upset over the leak in the ceiling that would most likely cost him hundreds of dollars to fix. My mom foresaw this and promptly fled the house just minutes before he arrived home. Without me. What kind of mother does that?_

_12-year-old me was frozen in place, glued to that chair because my father couldn't just complain to the house walls. I literally needed to be there as a dummy. A living dummy with no purpose but to be the oral punching bag for a man who only saw me as such. I tenderly picked up my spoon and played with the soup, making strange imaginary geometric shapes in it, trying my best to remain blissfully ignorant to my old man's tireless muttering. _

_He stood up, trudged past me, and opened the fridge behind me. _

"_Goddammit, where's my Sam Adams!" he shouted, slamming the refrigerator shut with more force than necessary. The room shook. My soup made ripples. I shut my eyes. _

_How was he still sober? I kept picking away at the soup, one small spoonful at a time, trying to keep the noodles and broth as the primary focus in my deteriorating mind. I was sick of being there. I wanted nothing but to disappear. _

"_Where's your mother, huh?" _

_I didn't look up. I didn't say anything. _

_I was suddenly two inches off of the ground. My father had picked me up by the collar, furious enough to do anything he wanted. _

"_Where is she, Cole." He said softly. "Is she inside? Is she outside?" _

_My eyes were wide open, locked onto his. I didn't breathe. My feet dangled in midair. _

"_Is she even here at all?" the man said slowly, one word at a time. _

_I said nothing. I never said anything. _

_He threw me back into the chair. My elbow hit the edge of the bowl, sending chicken broth everywhere. _

"_Useless piece of shit," he mumbled as he walked away. _

_I sobbed._

There was a note left on the front door. Somehow, Raven had found out where I lived. I wasn't very surprised, since I figured superheroes would have some kind of database to find anyone they wanted.

The note was part apology and part lunch invitation for noon. Just reading it made me feel better from the night before, seeing as she just left me there after their little fight with the big scary robot squids that didn't even hurt anyone. Apparently the original fight led to unforeseen circumstances in which Raven would explain later. I sure hoped she would. I didn't want to think that I spent that hour in the parking lot for nothing. I already had to make a serious apology to Vinny sometime soon.

Either way, I was still happy to know she still cared about what had happened last night, and wanted to get to know me better. I wasn't normally the ambitious type, but maybe there was something pushing me to make something happen between us. From this point, I didn't know where this relationship could lead, if you can even call it one.

I decided to cut my hair. It wasn't that drastic of a job to do, but I still needed to get it done. I had dyed it jet black, which complemented my overly pale complexion nicely. Or, at least that's what I personally thought. Not that I cared what normal people think of me anyway. Raven sure wasn't normal, from what I could tell.

As I sat on my bed counting down the minutes to leave, I tried to remember everything I could from the night before, questioning my ambitiousness to approach Raven in the first place and wondering why she went along with it. Was she really into dark-looking guys, or a generally pessimistic attitude? Was there something about last night that was special?

I looked over at my clock. It was only 11:15.

A strange case of déjà vu suddenly struck me. I had a dream last night, didn't I? I seemed to remember not being able to see or find my clock, but why? Maybe it _was_ true that clocks are non-existent in dreams.

I turned over onto my back and gazed at the ceiling. I was still a little tired, but I couldn't get my brain to remember what exactly that dream was about. It happened in my room, and it was dark. I shut my eyes and struggled to remember.

I glanced at the clock again. 11:21.

Perhaps I'll remember it later.


	4. Chapter 4

They say you can tell a lot about a person from their handwriting. The only thing I could tell from Raven's handwriting on the note was that she was in a hurry and probably didn't care all that much about what she was writing.

"Sorry about my early exit, maybe we can do lunch tomorrow? Noon at Felicio's. –Raven", the note said. I didn't have an option of yes or no, and it's not like I had other things to do anyway. I guess Raven got lucky with me this time.

I used the bus to get there. I'm not a huge fan of it, primarily because of my fear or people. I had to sit by a large guy talking on the phone with his wife the whole way. Some kid in the back cried constantly.

Felicio's Pizza wasn't exactly downtown, but it was close enough. It was one of those tiny establishments that you probably wouldn't see if you passed by it; rather, the smell caught your attention far more easily. I exited the bus about a block away. My head was spinning with fear of the unknown. I knew well enough how to talk to women, but this was definitely different. This was no regular girl.

I checked my phone just before opening the door to the place, realizing I was about five minutes early. I didn't like that, but at least I got there before her. Was that gentlemanly? Was that even a word?

For the noon lunch hour, the restaurant wasn't all that crowded. A few men in business suits were over on the right side in a booth, and a mom with her two kids were occupying a table near the center-left. I awkwardly stuffed my hands in my pockets and reserved myself a two-person table.

I rested my elbows on the table and habitually shook my legs and feet with anxiousness. What's the worst that can happen? I'd say I'm a little appealing. She said yes to me at the party last night, didn't she? She practically fell into my lap, figuratively speaking.

"Can I get you something to drink, hon."

I blinked and shifted my attention over to the waitress standing next to me without even looking up. Her humorously bored expression that went with her old, four-and-a-half-foot figure helped soften my anxiousness. Her cherry-red hair was tied into a bun. I cleared my throat. "I'm, um, waiting for someone," I said in a tone that would hopefully scare her off.

It didn't. "Oh, a date, huh. You picked a wonderful place." Her placid voice added to the already sarcastic expression she wore on her old, wrinkled face. What was she doing here?

_Oh yeah. Drinks. _"Perhaps you can wait for just a minute until my…" I stopped. This _was _a date, wasn't it? Raven and I aren't necessarily dating. We hardly even know each other. "…date arrives?" I smiled as politely as possible, but it was probably more of a grimace.

Once again, she just stared at me like I was a painting at an art museum. "Whatever, hon. Just call me if you need me." She turned and headed off towards the kitchen, but not before I actually caught a glimpse of the wedding ring on her left hand. I smirked to myself. What lucky bastard landed that one?

I drummed my fingers on the table with impending anxiousness. The smell of Italian food emanating through the restaurant suddenly reminded me of how hungry I was. The anxiety over seeing Raven again must have turned off my brain as well as my stomach. I wildly shook my head, all the while screaming internally for my mind to wake up and not go completely numb. The soft guitar tune of one of my favorite songs was on repeat in my head, but it was stuck in the same two seconds.

I reached under the table and checked my phone for the sixteenth time.

_Ding. _

My head snapped up just in time to see a familiar cloaked figure enter the restaurant. My heart skipped a beat. I smiled instinctively.

Her gaze met mine right as she reached up to her hood and pulled it back, revealing the beautiful pale face that was attached to those violet-shaded eyes. But that wasn't the only thing I marveled at.

"Purple," I muttered out loud. Her hair didn't quite reach her shoulders, but it matched her eyes perfectly. I almost couldn't believe what I was seeing.

My leg was shaking more than ever, having its own little seizure under the table. Was this the part where I stand up and hug her, then pull out her chair and allow her to sit in it? I was no expert on dating, but I at least knew the basics of common courtesy. Then again, it's not like I'm a fine-suited gentleman at a fancy restaurant showing manners to a lady of much weaker stature. In fact, all of those factors were meeting their opposite counterparts.

Raven gracefully approached my table bearing a skeptical expression. There was nothing particularly flattering about her, so why couldn't I think straight?

She smiled, but it was more of a smirk than a beam of excitement. "Nice haircut. Just get it?" Her voice was a little on the raspy side, but still fitting nonetheless.

By this point I was sitting straight up in my chair, at least showing that I wasn't being rude but still allowing her to seat herself. "Yeah, I did it myself just this morning," I said in the most normal tone in existence. She didn't reply immediately, so I quickly added, "I was due for one anyway."

Raven, now seated, politely scooted herself toward the table. The song in my head was still going, unable to be stopped, messing with my train of thought.

"Listen, about last night…" she began, crossing her arms and letting out a sigh on the edge of frustration, "…I can explain why I didn't exactly _come back._"

I raised my eyebrows. So she knew I was sitting out there in the parking lot? I quickly formulated an answer. "Oh, it's good. I don't blame you at—"

She raised a hand, cutting me off. "Uh uh, no, it's my fault. But I have a good reason." She didn't sound particularly ashamed, but she didn't sound like she was begging for forgiveness either. Her eyes gazed around all corners of the vicinity, getting a feel for the restaurant and its inhabitants. I could almost sense the paranoia, but I couldn't blame her for doing so. Being aware of your surroundings was probably one of the biggest parts of the superhero gig. "You might have noticed the girl who was with the rest of the team last night," she said.

I nodded, but noticed Raven's eyes going from me to over my shoulder. My assumption was only correct when the waitress from before appeared beside the table, but with a widespread smile across her face that I didn't think existed. "Welcome to Felicio's!" she exclaimed jubilantly. I shifted in my seat. Raven sat stationary, silent and unimpressed. The waitress placed menus onto the table. "Today's special is the Catch of the Day," she said cheerfully, winking at me. "Oops, my mistake. You already have that."

I laughed nervously, disgusted at the joke. This lady had pulled a 180 since about two minutes ago, and if I had the option to choose, the one from the past was far better. The last thing I wanted was for a little old midget to be making wisecracks about me in front of someone like Raven.

"That would have made a little more sense if we were at a seafood restaurant," Raven remarked, "but I admire your effort." She was being openly sarcastic in her tone and expression, but the lady showed no signs of acknowledging it.

"I was just making a little joke, hon. Think nothing of it." She opened a notepad and fished for a pen inside of her apron. "Can I get you kids something to drink?"

"Water's fine for me, thanks." Raven said.

Phew. My budget was silently shouting for joy. "I'll have a water too, thank you." I probably would have ordered water regardless of what Raven wanted. Who knows if a woman could judge you based on your beverage choice?

"Two waters, coming right up!" The waitress said gleefully. With that, she happily strolled back towards the kitchen.

Raven stared after her, incredulous and most likely a little annoyed.

I frowned and shrugged. "She was _not _acting that way before you got here," I said with a reassuring tone. "She looked like she was having a horrible day, come to think of it."

Raven shrugged. "Whatever." She cleared her throat.

Oh yeah. Last night.

"The girl who was with us was Blackfire, Starfire's sister…" she leaned back, staring off into some space above me. "She was cool and all, but it turns out she was a criminal being hunted down by alien police."

I chuckled. That was certainly an interesting development.

"Yep," She nodded, "the police mistakenly tried to hunt down Starfire instead of her sister, most likely because of the Centauri moon diamond Blackfire _gave_ her." She emphasized the word "gave", as if it meant the exact opposite. The amount of bitterness in her voice was getting increasingly higher.

"Woah. Was that what all those robot squid things were about?"

Raven nodded again. "Blackfire went to the Centauri moons, stole a diamond, and came all the way to earth just to blame Starfire and cover her tracks."

Wow. I guess that did give her a good reason to ditch me. "That's rough. I'm guessing Starfire took it hard?"

Raven shook her head. "No, Starfire was actually quite relieved when the police took her sister away."

"Well, I would be too if someone's plot to make me take their place in jail was ruined."

At that moment, a glass of ice water was placed in front of me. The waitress from before rounded the table to my right and awkwardly placed an identical glass in front of Raven , all the while mouthing "good luck" in my direction out of Raven's field of view.

Once she was gone, Raven smirked. "She wished you luck, didn't she."

I playfully shrugged. "I don't know what you're talking about," I said, making it quite obvious that it was a lie.

It was at this point where I noticed my leg was no longer shaking. The anxiousness from before was just a bad memory. Raven's presence had taken away that anxiousness and replaced it with a relaxation I had never experienced before. I had no clue what kind of irony had taken place here, but it wasn't anything to complain about.

I made direct eye contact. The scent of Italian cuisine seemed to romanticize the atmosphere and slow down the tune in my head to a point where I realized there was actual music playing in the restaurant. The silence between us lingered on for only a few seconds, but it might as well have been minutes.

I didn't mind one bit.


	5. Chapter 5

When I was younger, I had this crazy dream of becoming a writer. I had once tried to keep a diary at around age 10, but I lost each notebook that I started one in. It was only until recently that I found time to dig through some boxes in my basement and stumble upon one I made when I was about ten and a half. I sat there for hours, reading through each word and cringing every few seconds for a number of reasons: first, my word choice was better than the average ten-year-old's, but still bad overall. The second and largest reason was because of the memories pouring back through my brain, flooding my mind with images long forgotten. Little Cole was a disturbed child, one who I wanted to forget but still sympathized with as I read through the diary's decade-old pages.

The diaries were the gateway to my imagination, telling everything from my perception of my parents at the time, a wishlist, and ideas for stories based off of TV shows and books. Looking back on those ideas, I remember shaking my head multiple times at the lack of originality. None of those ideas came from my imagination at all, but were still existing elements that were regurgitated into my own ridiculous plotlines.

The wishlist was nothing unusual; the very first thing listed was a little brother. I had no idea that my mother was unable to have more children after me until I was 13. By then I had already figured it out on my own, since she probably would have done so by then. The other big thing on the list was a massive house, which was written in surprising detail. The section describing my dream bedroom took up over an entire page.

It wasn't until I found a certain entry that I finally relaxed and slowed down by taking in word-by-word. An angry letter from myself to the diary glared back at me from the old notebook, recalling an incident I had long since stored away. Reading it, I may have gotten a little emotional, but I couldn't deny that it had happened. My dad had come home from work angry over something as worthless as traffic. My mother was giving him the silent treatment. One thing led to another, and my dad decided he was crazy enough to slap her across the face. I saw the whole thing from the living room, but they must have forgotten I was there. Fearing for my own safety, I slipped away, scurried up the stairs, and locked myself in my room the entire evening. I refused to come out. Something inside urged me to write about it.

The memory of that evening took a hit to my mood for the rest of the day. I took the diary and stashed it in my room's closet. I prayed no one would ever find it.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

The restaurant was just as quiet as it was when I first walked in. The very few customers that were present were well-aware of Raven's existence, but didn't do much other than give some second looks and nod. I wasn't that surprised. Her personality didn't seem to be the type that would thrive off of fame. That seemed to be more of a thing for the male members of her team.

Judging from what I already knew, Raven did what she did so she could be silently appreciated. She was part of a team that could handle the spotlight far more easily. I hardly even saw the point in flaunting power around, anyway. I'd probably have the same philosophy if I had her position. For some reason, I get more personal satisfaction from doing things that have a substantial effect on others, but go specifically unappreciated. There have been very few chances in my life to make others happy. However, each time has gone unpaid apart from gratitude. Oddly enough, I'm perfectly satisfied with that.

The waitress returned again, but there was no funny business this time around. I did the smart thing and ordered off the right side of the menu, making sure my wallet didn't have to be beaten to a pulp just so I could spoil myself. Thankfully, Raven was quite considerate in ordering something slightly more expensive than my choice. The waitress left again and silence took her place.

I rested my elbows on the table, trying hard to look like I was actually interested. From my perspective, the silence that had just taken place was more pleasant than awkward. I was hoping Raven thought the same. She wasn't talking, but she wasn't exactly shifting around waiting for something to happen either.

"So what would happen…"I began, catching her attention, "…if you suddenly got a call _right now_ alerting you of trouble happening in the city?" I didn't really know where this question came from. Perhaps it was a continuation of the subject from when we were at the party.

Raven looked at me, a little startled from the question. "Probably ditch you and go save some lives," she said in a sarcastic tone. She paused, and I frowned. "But seriously, that'd be quite unfortunate. We'd have to do this all over again on some other day."

I smiled. "So I guess you're fine with me _not _being your top priority right now."

Raven's cheeks turned a slight shade of pink. She gave a little shrug, making my heart skip a beat. I didn't know whether I hit a nerve or not. She regained composure quickly, still trying to remain as serious as she could. "It's not easy trying to place priorities as a superhero," she said, cognitively staring off to the side. I remained silent, hoping it would somehow give her space or allow her to think of what to say next.

"I didn't start taking my powers seriously until about a year ago," she continued, still staring at the same place in space. "I was mostly just travelling from city to city, doing my own thing. It was by pure chance that I was here when those aliens attacked and the Titans all met."

"What do you mean, 'taking your powers seriously'?" I asked, hoping I wasn't getting over-intrusive. The last thing I wanted right now was for Raven to crawl into some sort of shell and refuse to talk. Invasion of privacy would be a huge punch to both of us.

She hesitated.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-"

She shook her head. "No, it's fine…I just haven't told anyone this before, apart from my…associates." She struggled on that last word, biting her lip while doing so.

I waited.

Raven leaned forward and rested her arms on the table, lowering her voice like she was going to share some kind of dark secret from a deep corner of her past. "It's not like I have many other people to talk to other than them, really…" she trailed off. I looked at her, suddenly realizing the emotional thickness in the air. She was truly at a moment of weakness here. What was I supposed to say?

I thought about it, considering my own position on a lot of things. Typically, I would talk to Vinny about a lot of things, but nothing extremely personal. The internet has been a wonderful tool, but it has too many boundaries. My mom would neither understand nor care. On top of them, I had pretty much no one else.

"I completely understand," I said. "I get it. We need _someone_ to talk to, but sometimes those closest to us just aren't the right people…they don't understand what it's like to be someone who doesn't know the proper way to connect with others on a deeper, more emotional level." I paused. She remained silent. "We can't always hold everything inside," I went on. "Emotions aren't something to be taken lightly. Sharing them is like slowly letting pressure loose from a confined space before it completely bursts and starts even bigger problems than what we started with."

I exhaled deeply. The words hung in the air like a lingering sickness. I honestly didn't know where they came from. Maybe it was something I always knew deep down, like a confession I had never been able to put into meaningful words. Even if they were the truth from my end, it might be a bitter, inescapable reality for her.

Raven stared at the table for a few moments, letting my words sink in. "Hmm," she muttered. "Deep."

I cocked my head. "Excuse me?"

She looked back up at me with a half-smile. "What are you, some kind of writer?"

The question caught me off guard. Maybe it didn't make as much sense to her as I thought it would. Regardless, I hesitated enough so that her sarcastic smile grew a little more. "I knew it all along. You're not as shallow as you look." Her eyes twinkled, making my heart skip again like a broken record player.

"It's a long story…" I said, searching for an excuse. It didn't look like she was going to let me go on this one. This wasn't just anything I could make her forget about and move on.

"We have time," she replied smugly, not making me feel any better.

I looked down at my lap. It had only been about five to ten minutes since we ordered our food, so no waitress wielding Italian magic on a plate could save me now. I honestly didn't feel like telling the truth, but I knew well enough that lies would come back to bite me. On top of that, I was never much of a liar to begin with.

The bell rang at the door and a few more customers filed in. My stomach growled again, audibly enough so that I had to clear my throat to cover it as I searched my mind for a place to start. "I started reading at age four," I said truthfully. "Mystery books were always a thing for me until middle school. I never liked novels that much. Occasionally I'll read fanfiction, but only when it's good."

"Fanfiction?"

I waved my hand. "Fan-made stories for books and TV shows and stuff. Don't even bother. Most of it is terrible."

Raven nodded, mouthing "ah" with understanding.

"I kept some diaries as a kid, but they're long gone now." Half lie. _Make an exception_, my conscience told me. "I tried writing my own stories once but I gave up early on in high school…" The memories of them made me stop for a second, giving me goosebumps. "They weren't that good, trust me."

Raven raised an eyebrow, apparently unsatisfied even though I was sharing a rather embarrassing part of my past. "Can you remember what they were about?"

What was she trying to do, get my social security number? I was about to protest, but my voice caught in my throat.

"From the look on your face, you're probably remembering them right now," she said, ruthlessly staring into my eyes. Yeah, there was no dodging this one. I slouched a little more into my chair.

"Okay, okay," I said in the most sarcastically annoyed tone known to humankind. "One of them had rip-offs of characters from some show in the 90s…"

She giggled, cutting me off. "I'm just messing with you. I hardly know anything about TV from before five years ago."

I unintentionally let out a loud sigh of relief, basically letting her know I could be lying and just got off the hook. It's too bad I hadn't known she was letting it go, otherwise I would have seriously considered lying. "Why 'five years ago'?" I asked, shifting the attention over to her.

Raven blinked, almost as if she wasn't expecting the question. "…oh. Well, I guess I can tell you…" Her giggle from before seemed like it never happened, given the serious expression she bore now. I disliked it, growing a little more paranoid every time her expression turned 180 degrees on a whim. Perhaps it was the unexpectedness that gave me chills.

"In case you haven't noticed, I'm not exactly _from _Earth," she said mysteriously.

My blank expression told her all she needed to know. "That doesn't mean I'm not _human_," Raven quickly replied to her own statement, rolling her eyes. "I'm just from another dimension. Starfire is the alien on the team, as you already know."

"But…you're alien if you're not from Earth."

"Not really. Azarath is another dimension, not another planet."

"Azarath." I repeated, slightly lost. "That's where you're from?" I hoped that would at least explain her powers. Why wasn't I born in a different dimension and given sweet magic abilities? I dwelt on that thought for a few passing seconds. Unfortunately, reason took over with the thought of responsibility concerning those powers. Maybe I wouldn't be the best choice for that kind of thing. A guy like me wouldn't even deserve them.

She sighed and nodded, probably a little bothered by the change in the conversation's direction. "That's where _home _reallyis. For me, I mean."

"Huh," I mumbled, fascinated. "And just how did you even arrive at this wonderful current dimension of the Milky Way and the Planet Earth, Raven?"

She gave me an incredulous glance, surprised I specifically called her by name. Maybe it wasn't the smartest move on my part. "Well, _Cole_," she answered, returning the favor, "I was…"

She trailed off, a little spaced out. I was almost afraid she wouldn't finish her reply, but I was met by a shrug and a straight answer before I could press any further.

"…kicked out."

I frowned. Raven? Kicked out? "That's rough," I said. "You had to have been what, twelve? Thirteen? Your parents must be jerks."

"Thirteen," she said squarely, not even bothering to dodge more questions. "And my…parents didn't kick me out." Her voice quivered a little on the last part, at least telling me that it was a delicate subject to go on about. From what I could tell, she was open enough to mention it but not so much that she would go into further detail.

"And before you ask," she continued, surprising me a little more, "it was everyone in Azarath who kicked me out."

_Shit. _

I didn't say anything right away. How could I? She was banished from her home dimension, but for what? That was certainly another subject for another time, but thankfully it didn't seem like I crossed any lines. Multiple seconds passed. "Oh," was all that escaped my lips.

More awkward seconds passed.

"House pasta with meatballs," a female's voice said from directly behind my head. I raised my hand. The waitress circled around and delicately placed a steaming plate of glorious food onto my side of the table. I nodded in thanks.

"Rigatoni and breadsticks." Raven's plate looked even better than mine. Standing between us, the waitress smiled her mischievous old-woman smile. Even her tiny stature and attitude weren't going to break the mountain of ice that had suddenly grown through the middle of the table. "Just holler if you kids need anything," she said, pleasantly oblivious.

"Thank you," I said, nodding in her direction again.

Raven did the same thing. A moment after the waitress was gone, she picked up a breadstick and stuffed half of it into her mouth.

Eyes wide and mouth full, she said, "I _love_ breadsticks."


End file.
